Shutting Down Your PC

Many of these shutdown options are found on the official Shutdown menu, which you can access by clicking the triangle button in the lower-right corner of the Start button's menu (see this figure). For dealing with computer shutdown, here are your choices:

You can find several options for shutting down your PC from the Start menu.

Keep the computer on all the time: This option is viable. Really, it is.

Log off: Tell Windows that you’re done without having to turn the computer off and then on again.

Lock the computer: Use this quick way to suspend computer operations and present the login screen, but without actually logging off.

Switch the user: Allow another user on the same computer to access their account without logging off from your own account.

Sleep mode: The computer slips into a special, power-saving Sleep mode, like going into a low-power coma.

Hibernate: The computer turns itself off, but when you turn it back on again, it comes back to life much faster that it does when restarting. Think suspended animation.

Restart: You turn the computer off and on again in one step, mainly when installing or upgrading software, or sometimes to fix minor quirks — like slapping Windows upside its head.

Shut down: Just turn the darn thing off.

Yank the power cord out of the wall: This method is satisfying, but not recommended.